Correcting Arm Placement During Cutbacks with Seth Moniz
The Importance of Technique in Surfing
I am always looking for ways to improve my surfing, whether that means doing exercises to get more physically fit or correcting errors in my technique in order to do better, more efficient maneuvers. I recently checked out this video by Doug Silva, who was talking about correcting Seth Moniz’s arm placement during cutbacks. Matt Rott, Hawaiian South Shore’s resident fitness expert and big wave consultant (and the host of Surfline’s Maps to Nowhere film series), breaks down Silva’s advice and gives us his thoughts on arm placement below.
A lot of people think that good surfing comes from pushing harder and with more power, but the reality is that nothing beats technique when it comes to performance on the wave. The best example of this right now is Ethan Ewing, whose forehand technique is as good as it gets. Ethan isn’t the biggest or strongest guy on tour, but because his technique is impeccable, his rail turns are more powerful than anyone—while at the same time being progressive and modern.
The Cutback: Foundation of Rail Surfing
Doug Silva’s coaching of Seth Moniz’s arm placement during cutbacks speaks directly to the importance of technique in power surfing. After all, the cutback was the original rail maneuver, and in someways is the foundation for all other on-face maneuvers. If you look at down carves, they are essentially just cutbacks performed more vertically in the water column and in a more critical part of the wave. And despite most people’s incorrect belief that snaps and off-the-lips are a flicky maneuver that can best be performed with a smaller board, the truth is that the best off-the-lips are rail carves that are so fast, critical, and powerful that they break the arc of the carve and release the tail in the lip. In other words, virtually everything we do on surfboards—aside from airs—are an extension of traditional rail surfing/carving, which is all about power and technique.
Common Mistakes in Arm Placement
Silva’s advice for Seth Moniz is something that the vast majority of surfers can benefit from. When I see people doing cutbacks—perhaps the most common of all maneuvers—I almost always note that they have their back arm up high in the air. There is some logic behind this, at least on a foundational level for beginners, because pushing that back arm up and through the turn ensures that the surfer doesn’t “drop the wallet” and lean back into a layback (which is a maneuver that has it’s time and place, but that shouldn’t be used on sections that call for a roundhouse). This is something I struggled with a lot when I was young (laying back rather than wrapping through carves), and to correct it, I also got in the habit of extending my back arm up and pushing through the turn. However, as Silva notes, extending that back arm upward has limited utility—and when it is extended too far up, it actually becomes counterproductive. Rather than helping the surfer drive through the turn and remain on rail, it directs their momentum up the face, breaking the flow of the turn. When the arm is extended too high, the back leg bows out and the outside rail (the one carving through the cutback) digs or bogs in the face.
Photo from: https://www.surfertoday.com/
Proper Technique for Arm Placement
Instead of extending the arm up, the proper technique is to push the arm through the turn, in concert with the back leg and inside rail (which is out of the water during the turn). This is facilitated by turning the head and upper body in the direction of the turn—leading with the eyes—and then allowing the back arm to naturally turn along with the upper body. You’ll note in the video that Seth Moniz does have his arm up—but it is placed in a natural alignment with the board and body, and actually helps push his weight through his legs into his turn, rather than being splayed out high above him, as it is with many other surfers.
Photo from: https://www.surfertoday.com/
Applying Cutback Technique to Other Maneuvers
Just as the cutback is a foundational maneuver, the technique used during a cutback is also foundational. But training oneself to surf properly through a slower maneuver like a cutback—leading with the head and upper body, with correct arm placement and body alignment—you develop good technique habits that automatically come into play during more aggressive maneuvers, such as downcarves and snaps.
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